Charlie Wade has coached the top-ranked Hawaii’s men’s volleyball team through the current season despite being suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Volleyball while under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct involving a former female player, according to SafeSport documents reviewed by the Southern California News Group.

Wade, a former Cal State Fullerton assistant and Redondo Beach native, has been under formal investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport since at least September, according to SafeSport and USA Volleyball documents and a person familiar with the investigation.

Wade is the second high profile NCAA volleyball coach to coach this season while under investigation and suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Long Beach State assistant Scott Touzinsky, 2008 Olympic gold medalist, resigned his post Wednesday night, a day after SC?NG revealed that he was suspended by USA Volleyball in July after officials for the national governing body learned of allegations of sexual misconduct involving an underage female athlete at a camp or clinic in Canada in 2013 or 2014.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport launched an investigation that same month and, according to SafeSport documents, found the “allegations were substantiated.” Touzinsky was sanctioned with a “Formal Warning” last week, yet SafeSport declared Touzinsky “eligible” to participate in USA Volleyball-accredited events, the center citing the time of the suspension since July as sufficient penalty in its decision.

Touzinsky “elected’ to leave the Long Beach State program Wednesday night following an SCNG report revealing the SafeSport investigation and sanction.

The SafeSport investigations also promise to overshadow the NCAA tournament which opens this week and the possibility of a national championship match clash May 4 between two Big West rivals who have already played three five-set matches this month. Long Beach State won a pair of regular-season matches earlier this month before Hawaii knocked off the 49ers in the Big West tournament final Saturday in Honolulu.

Wade was placed on an interim measure-suspension Sept. 5, 2018, pending a SafeSport investigation, according to USA Volleyball and SafeSport records.

According to SafeSport, under an interim measure-suspension the individual under investigation “is prohibited from participating in any capacity in any activity or competition authorized by, organized by, or under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies recognized by the USOC, and/or a Local Affiliated Organization of a national governing body recognized by the USOC pending final resolution of the matter.”

USA Volleyball in February 2018 became aware of allegations regarding Wade and possible misconduct involving a female player who played for him at the club and college level, according to SafeSport and USA Volleyball documents. Wade was an assistant coach for the Hawaii women’s program from 1995 to 1997 and head coach at Pacific from 2006 to 2008. Earlier he was the head coach at Magnum Volleyball Club in Anaheim.

USA Volleyball forwarded the case to SafeSport last March but the center did not contact the alleged victim for another month, according to SafeSport documents and a person familiar with the case. SafeSport began investigating in July or August and agreed that fell under the center’s jurisdiction in September..

Wade has been listed as suspensed on a public list on the USA Volleyball website since at least last fall.

NCAA events do not fall under SafeSport, USOC or USA Volleyball authority, so suspended coaches are not prohibited by rule from coaching on collegiate teams while under investigation by SafeSport.

Wade and Hawaii athletic director David Matlin did not respond to requests for comment.

Scott M. Reid is a sports enterprise/investigative reporter for the Orange County Register. He also covers Olympic and international sports as well as the Los Angeles’ bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games. His work for the Register has led to investigations by the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Department of Education, the California Legislature, and the national governing bodies for gymnastics and swimming. Reid's 2011 reporting on wide spread sexual abuse within USA Gymnastics and the governing body's failure to effectively address it led to Don Peters, coach of the 1984 record-setting Olympic team, being banned from the sport for life. His reporting also prompted USA Gymnastics to adopt new guidelines and policies dealing with sexual abuse. Reid's 2012 and 2013 reporting on sexual abuse within USA Swimming led to the banishment of two top level coaches. Reid has won 11 Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting since 1999. He has also been honored by APSE for game writing, and enterprise, news, and beat reporting. He was an Investigative Reporters and Editors award finalist in 2002 and 2003. Prior to joining the Register in 1996, Reid worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Dallas Times Herald. He has a B.A. in the History of the Americas from the University of Washington.